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Saturday, November 30, 2013

The Quest for Love by J.E. Wiseman contains three unique and interesting stories. I had not had the pleasure of reading Mr. Wiseman's work before and found his work to be enjoyable and quite easy to read. Maggie’s Farm.... I was so intrigued while reading Maggie's farm. I loved the instant connection between Thom and Maggie. They were quite steamy together from the moment they met. Thom finds the adventure he was seeking with Maggie and truly enjoys his time on Maggie's Farm. I so did not see the ending coming. I was slightly amazed. I really liked Thom and enjoyed reading about his adventure. Tollie’s Garden.... I really enjoyed this story. Sarah and Tollie's developing relationship was a lot of fun to read about. Sarah has a crush on the man that lives in their carriage house. Sarah and Tollie slowly get to know each other better. It was interesting watching this young girl mature as the time went and to watch her feelings for Tollie grow. This was a really nice feel good story with a few steamy scenes as well. Taking Chances...Catherine is feeling a little bored with her life. She's wants more, she wants sparks and flames, fun and excitement, she just plain wants more then her life now. I really liked Catherine she wants to do the right thing but she also wants to follow her heart. I think one of the things about this story that I liked the best was when Catherine sits down with her daughter to ask for her opinion. I really don't want to tell you too much about this story. There are some steamy scenes and plenty of drama. Over all I really enjoyed all three of these stories. Each one contained it's very own unique plot but is connected with the concept of love. Each story finds the characters looking for and finding love, each in their very own way. Each book contains it's own set of circumstances that kept me turning pages. If you are already a fan of J.E. Wiseman I think you will enjoy this collections of stories. If you have not had a chance to read his work, give it a try, I think you will enjoy it. I was given the opportunity to read The Quest for Love so that I may share my thoughts with you. As always it has been my pleasure to share my thoughts with you. I had the pleasure of conducting a short interview with J.E. Wiseman a few weeks ago. You may enjoy reading that interview here.....

Crystal: Today I am happy to haveLauren Tisdalestop by for a short interview.Would you share a little bit about yourself with us today? Would you share a little bit about yourself with us today?

Lauren: Sure! I'd love to. What can I say really. I found the hardest thing about my book was writing the author bio, I am no good at writing or talking about myself. I guess I can say writing started out as a hobby, I mainly wrote fan-fiction. Then I decided to take an old idea from my mother, who passed in 2007 and turn it into my own. I began to write it for NaNoWriMo and low and behold, I soon had a novel. I sent it off and was accepted to be published by Sweet Cravings and here I am now! I'm a wife and a mother to a three year old (will be three in December) and work at a police department as a dispatcher/reserve officer.

Crystal:Do you have a favorite scene you would like to share with us?

Lauren: Hmm, my favorite scene. Well I chuckled as I wrote a phone call between Carlos and Marissa. He was swift in his comeback when she said to ask her anything except for "How are you feeling?" so he responded with, "What are you wearing?" It made me chuckle and blush, I felt proud of that scene. Then of course there was the love scenes I enjoyed writing and according to my editor, I have a very good ability to write emotional scenes. I made myself cry a few times, so I am thinking she was right.

Lauren: The idea was originally my mom's. She wanted to make it a movie and told me her idea. Before she could finish it, she got too sick. I was going to finish her work, but thought it would be better as a book. So I changed a bit of this, a bit of that, added this and that, made it my own and bam...there it is.

Crystal:What are you currently working on?

Lauren:Currently, I am working on another NaNoWriMo project, the working title to be changed is Crimson Horizon. It is set in 1693 Salem and is a historical romance. I have 4 other ideas on the back burner I occasionally add things or research, so I have a lot to keep me busy.

Crystal:Do you have any special routine that you follow when you are writing?

Crystal: Did you have to do a lot of research for this book? If so do you have a fascinating fact that you have learned you would like to share with us?

Lauren:For this particular book, Circle of Secrets, I did a lot of research on kidney diseases. I was fascinated by it all really, it was interesting to learn about statistics and the medical aspect of it all.

Crystal:Is there a genre you haven't written that you would like to try?

Lauren:I'd like to try Erotica. That is one of the back burner ideas. I have a premise for it I think, but continue to research and get an outline before fully going for it. That and a series. I'd like to do a trilogy or series of some sort. I think it would be fun to have characters whose story goes on or multiple characters whose stories are told with each book that comes out.Crystal:Thank you so much for stopping by today Lauren. I have Circle of Secrets in my to be read pile and I can not wait to read it.

Christmas is supposed to be a joyous time of year, but for Harper Donaldson it’s just another day. Orphaned at an early age, she doesn’t have a single good memory of Christmas.

But, when a Santa’s Mailbox mysteriously appears in the lobby of the post office where she works as postmistress, Harper wonders what it could hurt to send her own letter to Santa.

Could he bring her the family she’d always wanted?

** Coming soon (tentatively Dec 20th) to Roane Publishing **

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About the Author:

Born and raised in Northern Indiana, Krista now resides in Northern Lower Michigan. She is married to a very supportive man who allows her to follow her true passion of writing and never complains when she is pirated away on her computer for hours. Krista is also a mother of 4 ornery children who keep her plenty busy. With an addition of 2 beautiful chocolate lab sisters and a playful kitty, there is never a dull or spare moment in her household.

Krista has always loved to read and would often sit up for hours into the night not able to put down a book until she was finished. She still reads when she can but her main focus is creating her own stories to share with the world.

Instead of feeding her late-night appetite, a midnight food run nearly gets 28-year-old Katherine O’Brian killed. She’s the only person to see the man who brutally murdered a local woman, and the killer is hell-bent on making sure she doesn’t talk.Scott Mitchell left a broken engagement behind when he moved to Reno, and the last thing he needs is more melodrama. But when he and Katherine are paired for a college project, that’s what he gets. It can be very distracting when someone is out to kill your lab partner. Together, they try to figure out what the police haven’t been able to—the identity of the murderer. Passion flares, but with Katherine’s life in danger, romance seems like more than a bad idea.Scott and Katherine will face jealousy, misunderstandings, lust, and rivals, not to mention attempted murder—and all before their first real date.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~EXCERPT:

Scott awoke on Saturday morning with a dry mouth and a slight headache. Looking into the bathroom mirror, he said out loud, “You look like hell, buddy.”He heard knocking and opened the door to see Katherine holding two Styrofoam cups. “God bless you, woman.”She came in and sat on the couch, one leg comfortably tucked under the other and her café mocha nearby.“You look hung over,” said Katherine.“I am hung over,” said Scott as he sat next to her.Katherine was finally used to his height, and she could even control her reaction to his deep voice, but now he was so near and wearing only a pair of thin pajama bottoms, and they were very alone. She tried not to look at his chest and stomach, which were toned and muscular but not overly so, with just the right amount of chest hair. She concentrated on her cup, afraid that what she felt was obvious on her face, and forced herself to think about Michael, anything to take her mind off of Scott’s body. Just then her phone rang. It was Amy.At the same time, there was a knock at the door. Scott got up and looked through the peephole. He didn’t recognize the woman at first, but then it all came back to him. It was Verna, the woman he’d met the night before. Everything started coming back to him. He’d been drunk, very drunk. She’d offered to drive him back to her place. They’d never made it there. That reminded him, he’d have to find a way back to the club for his jeep. He’d gotten sick in her car, and she’d brought him home. He was grateful, but a little worried when he saw her through his peephole. Was she going to be his stalker? Only one way to find out. He opened the door. She held up his wallet.“You dropped this in my car.”“Wow, thanks for bringing it by - and sorry about your car.”With a nod, Verna indicated she’d like to come into the apartment. He glanced back at Katherine and heard her say, “Michael?” He sighed and stepped out into the hall with Verna. “How did you find me?”“Your driver’s license, of course.”***Amy had called to ask Katherine about her date with Michael, and while they were talking, Katherine had seen the woman who’d knocked, but she hadn’t heard Scott’s conversation with her. She’d watched as Scott went into the hall.Hello, you do have a guest.After a few minutes, Scott walked back in and sat down.“Well?” Katherine said.“Well what?”“Who was she?”“Her name’s Verna. We met at a club last night.”“You went out last night?”“I told you I probably would.”“So, what did she want?”Scott really didn’t want to tell Katherine he’d thrown up in the woman’s car.“I left my wallet with her by accident.” Well, it’s true.“Did you sleep with her?” A slightly accusatory tone had entered Katherine’s voice. Realizing this, she cleared her throat. She pretended a cheerfulness she didn’t feel. “Well, tell me all about it.”To Scott, it was bad enough that Verna knew he was a lightweight. Katherine didn’t need to know it too. Plus, he didn’t want to start giving out details of his night - those he could remember.“Nice try, but not my style.”She tried to mask her feelings by telling Scott about her date. “We had a lot of catching up to do. He’s—”“Please, spare me the details. Good food, good time. That’s all I need to know.” He looked around his apartment.“I need to get some pictures up. There’s an echo in here.”“Are you sure it’s not in your head?” said Katherine, smiling.Scott didn't turn his head but said quietly, “Pretty sure.” Then he turned on the television. A local celebrity had died. “If I die, will you go to my funeral?” asked Katherine. “Will there be food there?” answered Scott, with a straight face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~AUTHOR Bio and Links:

MaryAnn Kempher's writing is infused with romance and mystery. Herlove of romance stories goes back to her teen years spent living inReno NV where Mocha, Moonlight, and Murder is set. MaryAnn'stravels have taken her to beautiful cities in Italy, Southeast Asia andthe sultry desert country of Qatar. She met her husband on one of herromantic misadventures. She has two children and currently lives in Florida where she and her family share their home with two dogs and a cat. Her writing influences include favorite authors Jane Austen and Agatha Christie. She's also a huge fan of the Hercule Poirot mysteries.Her guilty pleasures include any and all sweets, including a good cup of Mocha.For more about MaryAnn Kempher, visit mkempher.comBuy Links:Amazon:

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

I love animals of all shapes and sizes and horses hold a special place in my heart. So I knew I was really going to enjoy Thrown by Colette Auclair. Not only is there plenty of scene's with the beautiful horses and the adorable little girls riding them, there is a nice romance, some wonderful friendship stories, and over all just a very entertaining story line.

Amanda Vogel has been through some very traumatic events and had to make some very difficult decisions. She is a very strong, independent woman with her heart set on the Olympics. She is also wonderful with horses and as it turns out she's mighty talented with children as well. Amanda did not think she was going to get a long well with the two girls she was hired to teach to ride. However it turns out that she has the special touch these girls needed and they all soon found a fondness for each other. It was sweet watching these two girls following Amanda's lead and growing closer to her. I loved her interaction with the girls.

Then there is Grady, hot, sexy, super star Grady. Amanda is determined not to fall for her hot boss but when they both discover a deep attraction it makes it a LOT harder to not fall for each other.

I enjoyed Harris the cook and best friend. There were some fun additional characters that helped make the storyline even more fun.

I really, truly enjoyed this fun entertaining story. It had just he perfect mix of drama, romance, some steamy scenes, some great stories about the horses, and some nice family moments as well. Overall, I really liked this story. I had not had a chance to read anything by Ms. Auclair before, however now I know I would love to read more of her work. This is a really great story.I was given the chance to this book to share my thoughts with you. As always it has been my pleasure to share my thoughts.

I have found myself yet another new to me author that has hooked me with just one book. I can't wait to read more by Ginny Baird. Real Romance is a fun entertaining story that is full of romance and laughter. I really enjoyed this book. Ms. Baird has created a fun story line with intriguing charismatic characters. Marie McCloud has not had the best luck with men. She seems to end up with the guys that are just plain bad news. When she meets David Lake there is an instant attraction but she is afraid that David is like all the other men from her past.David Lake is living the life of a play boy and loving it. That is until he meets Marie. Once he meets Marie he feels things for her he has never felt before. Now he just has to show her that he is not the play boy she thinks he is. David finds himself on the end of some bad advice. This leads to some misunderstandings with Marie. These two have a few things they need to straighten out to see if they can find their happily ever after. Will David be able to sweep Marie off her feet? There is a really nice family Thanksgiving dinner scene with Marie, David and Marie's family. I just love holiday stories. It's always so nice to see the families together. On the whole I just really enjoyed Real Romance. There is a lot of romance, a few steamy scenes, and some drama. I found it to be a nice mix and a great read. I can not wait to get my hands on more of Ms. Baird's work and read more of her creative stories. She has a nice flow to her writing that I found to be very easy and enjoyable to read. This is a rather short story so it can be read in a short amount of time. If you are looking for a quick story to read while you are waiting for Thanksgiving dinner I think you should give this one a try. I think you will enjoy it. I know that I most certainly did. I was given the opportunity to read this book so I may share my thoughts with you. As always it has been my pleasure to share my thoughts on this great book with you. Ginny Baird is offering a giveaway right now to win a copy of this book. Be sure to enter with this link to the Rafflecopter

There is rafflecopter giveaway at the bottom of this post. Don't forget to use the rafflecopter to enter for the prize!

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Review:

In Your Arms by Merry Farmer is not only a nice historical romance story, it also deals with social issues of the time. I found this to be a very enjoyable read. Lily Singer doesn't remember much of her childhood before she was taken to the school where she was raised. She doesn't know anything about her background and this has left her with a feeling of never knowing where she belongs. She has never felt like she fit in anywhere. She loves her teaching career and has a fabulous relationship with her students. I really admired Lily. She stands up for what she believes in and doesn't care what anyone else thinks. When she meets Christian Avery, sparks fly! At first these two have a lot squabbles. It was fun reading about these two and their disagreements. While they entice each other's tempers there is also a lingering attraction that is almost combustible. I love how the more time Christian spends with Lily the more he finds himself fighting for her causes as well. There is an Indian family that lives outside of town. Lily is very fond of the family and does a lot to teach the children. A few people in town are quite mean and rude to the family and Lily tries to help the family. This puts Lily is a bad position with some of the town members. Christian wants to help as well but he and Lily don't agree on what is best for the family and their children.There is a lot of drama and some mystery involved in this book. When you add in the steamy scenes between Lily & Christian, you get one really great story in my opinion. Overall I found this to be a very delightful read.I had not read any work by Merry Farmer before In Your Arms however, I would certainly be open to reading more of her work now.I was given the opportunity to read this book for this blog tour. As always it has been my pleasure to share my thoughts with you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~About In Your ArmsLily Singer has never belonged. Taken from her tribe as a child and raised in a white man’s school, she no longer has a place in either world. Teaching has become her life. When that life is threatened by rumors and prejudice after a string of robberies, she must turn for help to the one man who spells disaster for her carefully ordered existence. Will he save her or steal her heart?Christian Avery, Justice of the Peace, is used to having things his way. Cold Springs is his responsibility, and when its citizens blame the local Indian population for the mysterious robberies, it’s up to him to restore order and maintain calm. The one person who refuses to follow his lead is the beautiful, native-born Lily. Her defiance turns his life upside down.But when town gossip shifts from robberies to romance after a foolish indiscretion, Lily’s job and reputation are on the line. She must choose between the only life she has ever known and the only place she has ever felt at home, in Christian’s arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~About Merry Farmer:

Merry Farmer is an award-winning author of Historical Romance and what she likes to call “Sci-Fi for Women.” She lives in suburban Philadelphia with her two cats and enough story ideas to keep her writing until she’s 132. Her second novel, The Faithful Heart, was a 2102 RONE Award finalist and her unpublished futuristic novel A Man’s World won first place in the Novel: Character category at the 2013 Philadelphia Writer’s Conference. She is out to prove that you can make a living as a self-published author and to help others to do the same.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Covets have all the sexiness, emotion, and happily ever after that readers have come to expect and love from Entangled. They are firmly grounded in the contemporary world, but each novel brings in supernatural twists, breaking the contemporary and paranormal rules, alike. To find out more about their titles, chat with authors, participate in special events, and to find out what books you’ll be coveting next, visit the Entangled website, follow them on Twitter, LIKE their Facebook page, and join the Book Club.

Today I'm happy to be featuring Covet's November releases which is very exciting because in celebration of these three great new books, they are on sale for just $0.99 for the first week of release only. So they are perfect to download and read over the long holiday weekend between all the hussle and bussle for a nice little break.

Also, make sure to hop on twitter tonight, 11/25 at 8PM to join in the #CovetBash. The authors of these fabulous books will be joining in the fun, and there will be lot's of chances to win prizes, including a grand prize giveaway of Covet's entire backlist to one lucky winner! Details here.

Parts & Wreck by Mark Henry

Wade Crowson, a brutish and brooding playboy and veteran vivisectionist for the Parts Department, runs into more than he bargained for in new partner, Lucid Montgomery, a quirky beauty with a bizarre secret and a string of psychiatric diagnoses she tries hard to keep hidden. Loving Luce will stamp a demonic target on her back and thrust Wade into a frenzied whirlwind of hilarious misunderstandings and, quite possibly, a stripping gig for emptynesters. Can they withstand the savagery of an exorcism (with or without the split pea soup) and come out alive and …in love?

At eighteen, Melissa seduced her best friend Julia's brother only to run away shortly after. While Daniel was her fairytale prince, Lissa didn’t believe in happy ever afters.

Ten years and a near death experience later, Lissa is ready for a husband and family. But a cry for help from Julia puts that dream on hold. Daniel is acting weird and he’s about to marry his long term girlfriend—AKA The Evil One. Someone needs to save him.

Daniel has never stopped loving Lissa. Ten years ago when he gave her a little freedom, he always intended that one day they would be together. Right up until the moment he was bitten by a werewolf. Now, Daniel has to hide what he is. He won’t risk anyone else, especially the woman he loves.

But Lissa is back. Their attraction is stronger than ever and Lissa is nothing if not tenacious.

Half-shifter and lead SPAC agent, Val Calhoun, has listened to women gush over the Don Juan of the precinct for the last four years. Yeah, Detective Britton Townsend is hot and has stunning blue eyes, but that foul mouth he saves only for her? What a waste of good looks. And no way does Val want that mouth anywhere near hers.

When the shifter community is threatened, Val is assigned to the case…and fails. So the High Council turns to the rogue shifter they'd sentenced to twenty years as a human--that same obnoxiously sexy Detective Townsend. And sends the two arch-enemies deep into the North Carolina Mountains-—together, and alone.

Being stuck in a tiny honeymoon cabin with Miss Castration and only one bed is definitely not Britton's idea of a good time. But the High Council doesn’t take no for an answer. After his shifter abilities are restored, Brit is once again susceptible to the dreaded, irreversible bonding instinct, the Drall. Thankfully, all he’s ever felt for Val is intense loathing, no reason to worry. Right? All he has to do is solve this case pronto, and he can go back to his footloose Casanova ways. That is, if they don’t kill each other first. Or worse...fall in love.

Missed the first book in the Awakening series? While these books stand alone, it can be fun to go back and see how the other couple got together. And in celebration of book #3's release, book one, The Awakening: Aidan is on sale for just $0.99 as well, so grab it while you can!

The Awakening: Aidan by Abby Niles

The Awakening #1

Is the gift of eternal love a blessing or a curse?

After years of counseling grieving shifters, psychiatrist and half-shifter, Dr. Jaylin Avgar has become jaded on shifter mating. She wants to marry a human and forget about the love for eternity crap. Then she meets Aidan O’Connell, an infuriatingly laid back shifter who represents everything she doesn’t want. Yet, the more he pursues her, the more she craves a future with him. Only one thing stands in her way: death. Can she overcome her fear of losing Aidan to the one guarantee in life?

Millionaire consultant, Aidan O’Connell knows he’ll one day meet a woman who’ll awaken an unrelenting mating instinct. Unfortunately, that woman is Jaylin, who has no qualms about telling him that he and his so-called eternity can shove it. When she pushes him away, he takes a drastic step so she can no longer escape. The close proximity throws the instinct into overdrive. Can he control the need engrained in him until he’s certain she will reciprocate the bond, or will a moment of weakness doom him to hell on earth?

Carly has a bunch of fun giveaways for this tour. Please be sure to enter with the Rafflecopter below. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Interview:

Crystal : As Part of the Dare to Love Blog tour I was given the wonderful opportunity to ask Carly Phillips a few questions. Is there any genre you haven’t written that you would like to try?

Carly: None. I’d rather read a paranormal that takes me into another world than attempt to write it. I have a hard enough time keeping track of timelines and eye colors in a contemporary! I’m happy doing what I do.

Crystal : Do you have anything special you like to do to celebrate a new release?

I have been a fan of Carly Phillips for a long time now. This woman always writes a very compelling story with fun characters. Dare to Love is certainly no exception. Ian Dare does not do long term relationships because he really does not believe in love. His father's past plays a big part in Ian life. He has a lot of issues with trust and love. However when he meets Riley Taylor he finds himself falling in love for the first time in his life. Riley has a touchy past with many problems as well. Her problems come back to disturb her life once again. She has trust issues as well and never feels safe. Her father has done a number on her mental emotional state and caused her to have problem in relationships as well.I really liked Riley. She has so many problems but is a very kind caring individual. She has a lot on her plate and she and Ian have a LOT to over come in order to make their relationship work. Ian is a wonderful man and will do anything to help his family, he has a few issues with his half siblings but I enjoyed watching him take some steps to try to mend these relationships. I can tell this is going to be a FABULOUS new series and I can't wait to read more.I found Dare to Love to be full of some really nice steamy scenes, some drama, mystery, and action. I really enjoyed this story and I know I'll be impatiently waiting for the next release in this series. If you are a Carly Phillips fan you must check out this new series. If you are new to Carly Phillips give this series a try. I don't think you will be disappointed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Author Bio: New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips tossed away her legal briefs and a career as an attorney to become a stay at home mom. Within the year, she turned her love of reading into an obsession with writing. Over 30 published novels later, Carly writes sexy contemporary small town romances, striking a balance between entertainment, humor and the emotion her readers have come to expect and enjoy.Carly is a New York Times bestseller, USA Today Bestseller, Publisher’s Weekly bestseller and as of 2012, a Romance Writer’s of America RITA Nominee. In 2002, Carly’s novel, The Bachelor, became Kelly Ripa’s “Reading with Ripa” pick on Live with Regis and Kelly, making it the first romance ever chosen on a nationally televised book club.Carly received her undergraduate degree from Brandeis University and is a graduate of Boston University School of Law (J.D.). To date, Carly has over thirty novels to her credit, all available wherever books are sold.When not writing or playing online, Carly loves to read, occasionally to knit, and to spend time with her family. She lives in Purchase, New York with her husband, two daughters and her dogs, a soft coated wheaten terrier and a Havanese. Her dogs are prominently featured on her website and Facebook page.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BLURB:

In her newest sexy and emotional contemporary romance series, New York Times Bestselling Author Carly Phillips introduces you to the Dare family… siblings shaped by a father’s secrets and betrayal.Since finding out his father had another family on the side, Ian Dare swore to be the upstanding, responsible man his cheating parent had never been. But after one glimpse of sensual Riley Taylor, with her feminine curves and beguiling eyes and Ian is entranced. He will do anything to possess her ... but does that include extending an olive branch to the half-brother who is a constant reminder of pain he’d rather forget?Independent and always in control, Riley Taylor makes no apologies for choosing men carefully. Relationships have never been a priority, and she believes herself hardened to domineering men - until she meets charismatic Ian Dare. He manages to turn a simple kissinto an all out assault on her senses. Their affair heats up and they soon realize they complete each other in ways neither ever imagined. But Riley’s family includes a man Ian would rather live without ...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Carly's Links: